Audio
#23 The Last of Her Kind
Transcript
You’re listening to “Maritime Voices” from San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. This is Park Guide, Chris Poisant. In this episode, we’ll explore the Hercules, the last of her kind.
Built in 1907, the Hercules is the last surviving steam powered ocean tug in the United States. Her story combines technology and humanity in a way that no other surviving vessel can do today.
Technologically, her ocean-going capability is often a big surprise as most people consider tugboats to be small harbor-bound vessels that only assist big ships in docking or undocking. However, with her size, design, engine power, and 8,000-mile cruising radius anything that could float could be towed by the Hercules on the open ocean. Just like harbor tugs, though, in order to do this job Hercules had to have a powerful propulsion system. In fact, approximately two thirds of Hercules’ interior is occupied by this system. In this way, she aptly fits the tugboat metaphor of being “an engine with a hull around it.”
The technical side of Hercules’ history, however, in no way overshadows her human history. In fact, on any particular voyage Hercules was packed with humanity. On her first voyage her crew list records 17 people on board! Imagine living in such close quarters. Few comforts would be available with so little privacy and even fewer secrets could be kept. This way of life was made all the more challenging during the periodic bouts of bad weather. Documented crew accounts tell of horrendous waves that Hercules encountered during storms. At one point during her first voyage, these waves actually resulted in five feet of water flooding into the tug!
This combined story of technology and humanity accompanied the Hercules throughout her career. Her preservation as a national landmark ensures that it will be sure to captivate park visitors far into the future.
Description
Explore the last surviving steam powered ocean tug in the United States, the Hercules.
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